everlasting spring
by shiningpearl
Summary: kuchiki rukia has dressed up as a maid to take the revenge from kurosaki ichigo,head of kurosaki family who she assumes has killed her elder brother.will she fall in love with him?.will he find her true identity?read to know.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"what?he can't be dead ! you are lying. this can't be!" Kuchiki rukia hid her face covered with tears behind her hands.a maid had just informed her about the death of her brother.. kuchiki byakuya who had gone to negotiate with kurosaki ichigo ,the new head of kurosaki family. these two families were the noblest of all families in soul society but they had been enemies for centuries now. finally they decided to put an end to that enmity and for that purpose kuchiki byakuya,the head of kuchiki family had been invited by the head of kurosaki family . he never came back"so it was all a trap …they killed my brother !"rukia sobbed."ma'am it has been told that respected kuchiki sama was killed by an espada and was not…"the maid tried to explain."silence!its all a lie . kurosaki family is responsible for my brother's death and I am going to avenge my nee sama's death even if it takes my life away..just go away."the maid went away silently."but I am too weak.i can't do it.. how am I going to take revenge.i was not even able to get a good rank in gotei 13.i am a nobody!nobody knows me!"just then an idea came to her mind."that's it.i am a nobody nobody knows me this is the key to my revenge."

The next day she called her maid who was also her closest friend."mia!you are going to look after things as kuchiki rukia when I am not around.i have to go somewhere urgently"said rukia." but…but mistress how can I do this and where are you going?"asked the maid worryingly." this is none of your business. i have taken leave from from my squad .you don't need to worry about that. just handle things here . you know well what to do.i need your clothes for a while"

after 5 hours

"good evening sir!"the short girl with black hair said."are…are you the new maid."the tall man with orange hair asked in disbelief after casting a quick look at the magnificent young lady." yes sir!" replied the girl. o.k you have the responsibility to look after the kitchen. my little sister yuzu will accompany you to the kitchen .yuzu…"he called his little sister. rukia looked Into his eyes for the first time and those were not the eyes of a murderer. he was looking so kind and gentle.." what am I thinking…I am here for revenge.i will show no mercy.i will kill him at the first chance I get!" she steeled herself. then a little charming girl came out of her room and greeted them both." yuzu! she is our new maid. show her the kitchen." the little girl giggled and took her to the kitchen."whats your name nee san?""summer!my name is summer!"rukia replied making up an answer."I hope you like it here.i also love to cook!"yuzu said with excitement.

Rukia has never been to kitchen in kuchiki house she didn't know what to do and when she was asked to make tea , she accidentally added salt instead of sugar."thankyou"ichigo said taking the cup. she stood there looking into his deep eyes he took the sip and then cough*cough*"are…are you okay sir!"rukia asked moving forward."yeah.i am …*cough*okay.i guess you added salt instead of sugar"ichigo explained."I am really sorry !give it to me"rukia said taking the cup back."I knew something like this would happen."rukia thought.

author's note"please do review"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was 8 a.m . one day had passed since her arrival at kurosaki mansion and she was glad she had not been caught."but what to do next?"she had been allotted a room in the servant quarters it was quite a comfortable room unlike the rooms they used to give to their servants in kuchiki mansion .she checked if the door was properly locked or not, picked up her bag pack which she had hid under the bed .she unzipped it and was relieved to see her small zampaktou. just then there was a knock at the door which almost gave her a heart attack she quickly put the bag back under the bed and opened the door."good morning little mistress !"rukia said hiding her nervousness." good morning summer san!sorry to wake you up this early in the morning but Karin chan is making a fuss it would be a great favour if you make breakfast for us"yuzu said without even stopping for a second."my pleasure!"rukia said forcing a smile but in reality she was pretty worried about how to make breakfast.. she entered the kitchen which was pretty huge,. she opened the refrigerator ,took out some eggs and sighed"let's do it when the fit is upon me.i dug out this pit myself."she somehow managed to make something out of those eggs. she picked up the tray and went towards the dining room...he was also sitting there,the man who was her enemy yet very attractive to her."good morning sir!"rukia said placing the tray on the table."good morning!"ichigo said without giving much attention to her."please make some tea too but be careful this time."ichigo said with a smile and and his smile….what a smile it was . she could feel the warmth."yes sir!"rukia said looking away.

She spent the whole day trying to understand her feelings for him"why don't I hate him?why doesn't my blood boil when I see him?why does he not seem to be a killer to me?why do I forget about revenge whenever I am with him?have I begun to love him…"she asked these questions from herself millions of times that day and then negated herself."no!it's not like that. he is the one who killed my brother.i can't forgive him for that.i just can't . I don't love him this is absurd.i don't even know him!"she kept trying to convince herself but badly failed everytime.. that night she couldn't sleep so she came out in the huge garden for some fresh air ..she saw some flower beds .it it was spring so flowers were in full bloom..she hesitated for a moment and then plucked some roses . she closed her eyes and smelled them,someone placed his hand on her shoulder ! she let out a muffled shriek and opened her eyes.. the flowers slipped from her hands she turned and saw that right behind her was ichigo. ichigo felt embarrassed so withdrew his hand"I'm sorry if I scared you!"ichigo said in hurry she was too shocked to speak,so so stepped back without saying anything still looking at him."I was heading towards kitchen to get some water.i saw you through the window so thought I should check if everything is alright.i mean you should not be out here at such a time."ye..yes master!i am okay. sorry if I made you worried."rukia said, a bit soothed now. "no,its okay!you can always ask if you need something.i mean …you are happy here ?aren't you?"ichigo said soothingly with a warm smile . she did not say anything he picked up the flowers on the grass and handed them over to rukia."what kind of man is he?he is the head of kurosaki family yet he is so humble,so down to earth"rukia thought."thanks.."she finally said getting out of the trance."you should go back to your room . it's pretty cold out here."ichigo said placing his hand over hers and for a brief moment,rukia completely forgot that she was there for revenge . she wanted the time to stop she had never felt that way,never before in her life."yes sir!"she said softly and headed back to her room ichigo stood there watching her go away.

"no!there is no time for me to play such games.i don't feel anything for him he is an enemy,just an enemy…"rukia said to herself in her room."i have made up my mind.i am going to kill him right now!"rukia said taking out her zampaktou."for you neesama!"she said clutching the zampaktou firmly in her hand. she headed towards the room of the man she was falling for…

author's note" thanks for reading"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was a war going on inside her. Whether she should do it or not?"No,I should not do this. This is foolishness. Even I manage to kill him , I would not be able to get past the guards. This is like digging my own grave." She thought but this thought was countered by another one"I am just being coward. I am not afraid of dying but what I fear is his death. I am in love with him""no!no!it is not like that .I don't love him .I am going to finish him!"There was a torrent of thoughts in her head. She had reached the end of the garden when she turned. She turned back. She had made up her mind. Kuchiki Rukia couldn't bring herself to kill Kurosaki Ichigo .

"This is absurd .I knew I would not be able to kill him. It is all over…. I will go back home tomorrow. I should not have come here at first place" Rukia said to herself when she was back in her room. She looked at the flowers on the table which looked as fresh as ever. She smiled and then sleep took over her. In her dream she saw that she was standing in the middle of plenty of flowers. She was alone and was feeling lonely. Then someone embraced her from behind. She wanted to speak but the person put a finger on her lips communicating silence. She suddenly felt she was at peace and closed her eyes.."I will protect you forever. "The person said. She opened her eyes to see who it was but He was gone….

"Summer! Summer!..."Rukia opened her eyes. "It is morning already" Rukia sighed. She came out and saw Ichigo in the lawn. But he was not alone …A girl was with him too. A beautiful young lady whose manners showed she also belonged to a royal family. "So she is that girl ,huh?" asked the beautiful lady with long orange hair. "Well yeah…"Ichigo said with an expression on his face which Rukia could not comprehend. "This is Inoue Orihime. She is a family friend and…"said Ichigo but was cut by Rukia because she didn't want hear something else." Nice to meet you ma'am." Rukia bowed. "Would you like to have tea or coffee?"" Bring some coffee" It was Ichigo who replied. Rukia hurried towards the kitchen .Rukia couldn't understand what was going through her head but whatever it was, it was very close to jealousy. "I am not jealous of her ?why should I be?Ichigo means nothing to me." She tried to convince herself.

That evening, she packed her luggage, took a deep breath and headed towards Ichigo's room. She could have left without informing him but she wanted to cast a last look on him. She knocked at the door." Yes, come in !" Ichigo replied !A smile appeared on his face when he saw her. "I wanted to inform you sir that I am leaving" Rukia said after a pause." But you can't leave that easily ,KUCHIKI RUKIA!"SAID ichigo.

Author's note;Do tell what you liked or disliked about the chapter so that I can improve.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Rukia was too shocked to say anything. "I…."She wanted to explain the whole thing but was interrupted by Ichigo" You don't need to say anything. I know everything. I knew everything from the very start…""you knew everything…."said Rukia growing pale. "But I need to ask one question." said Ichigo getting up from the chair. Rukia felt her heart beat faster as Ichigo got closer. "Do you remember this?" asked Ichigo as he pointed towards a locket round his neck which had a wooden carved chappy hanging from it. "Who gave it to you?" asked Rukia in a shock. "Don't you remember? You gave it to me!" said Ichigo with a meaningful smile. "Ichi kun! You are Ichi kun?"Rukia asked as tears welled up in her eyes…

**FLASHBACK**

"Tag, you're it." said the orange haired little boy, about 9 years old, as he caught his friend. "This is totally cheating. I was pushed…"His friend said making a grumpy face. A short girl with jet black hair, approximately of the same age, standing behind a tree giggled as she saw the kids quarreling." Hey! Why don't you play with us too!" said the orange haired boy as he caught the sight of the little girl in dirty clothes. The girl blushed but said nothing. Instead of her, one of the boy's friends said, "Are you serious, Ichigo? You want this garbage bin to play too?" "You have no right to mock her like that." said Ichigo turning red. "It's okay! Please don't fight because of me." said the little girl. "What's your name by the way?" Ichigo asked turning away from his friend. "I am Rukia." replied the girl." Rukia, huh? What a weird name you've got! Anyhow, Rukia! Just shut up and come!" said Ichigo as he caught hold of one of her cold hands. Rukia was hesitant at first but soon, she was busy playing with the kids.

The shadows were growing and most of the kids had gone. Only Ichigo and Rukia were the two who were left. "I see you here quite often! Where do you live?" asked Ichigo curiously. "Me?I…"Rukia mumbled." Yes, I am talking about you! Where do you live?" Ichigo said." I don't have any home. Just here and there…"replied Rukia making a sad face. " What about your parents?" Ichigo inquired. "I don't have any." said Rukia growing even sadder..."I am sorry! I shouldn't have asked. Anyways, it's time to go. See you later." said Ichigo as he waved towards her. "See you later." said Rukia as she saw him go away. Rukia sighed. Her elder sister had abandoned her and she had no one else to go to. Her only means of getting food was stealing. But she used to dream big. She had a dream of becoming shinigami. She used to stand in the front of royal school everyday where royal children were trained to be able to join shinigami academy .She watched the children playing and laughing after the school. She wondered if someday, she would be able to go there too or not! Nobody noticed her ever but she observed every one of them keenly especially Ichigo. At first she thought him to be cocky like the other kids but that day, when he stood by her like that, she felt he was somewhat different…

The next day, she reached there earlier than the usual .Ichigo stopped by her. She had a paper and some crayons in her hand and was drawing something sitting under the same old tree. "Wow! You draw pretty well!" commented Ichigo ..Rukia had not noticed his presence and was greatly shocked. The paper and the crayons fell onto the ground as she stood up. "Hey! Did I scare you?" Ichigo asked reading the expression on her face .Rukia did not say anything but was a bit calmed now. Ichigo began to gather the crayons on the ground and asked" From where did you get these crayons? ""I ….I stole them" replied Rukia after some hesitation. "You stole them? "Ichigo asked as he handed the crayons over to Rukia. "But stealing is a bad thing you know! "Ichigo went on. "I know but if I won't steal, I will die of hunger!" said Rukia making an innocent face. "Oh well! You can take my crayons if you want!"Ichigo said handing out his crayons .Rukia looked at him with gratitude as she took the crayons from him. "But firstly, promise you will return these crayons to their owner and will never steal unless it is really necessary!"Ichigo said holding out his hand for a promise .Rukia shook the hand with the crayons in the other one. Both of them smiled. Suddenly Rukia remembered something." Ichi kun! Will you accept a present from me too?" Rukia asked with shining eyes." Ichi kun, huh? That's a nice nick name. I like it .Anyways what present?" Ichigo exclaimed!Rukia took out a locket from her pocket. "I carved it for myself but you can take it. I know it is not perfect but…""It is perfect" Ichigo said as he took the locket from her.

Author's note: I just hope that the flashback is not too boring. Hehe. But I will try to make it short.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Don't I look cool with it?" Ichigo said wearing the locket. Rukia giggled. "We are best friends right?" Ichigo said with twinkling eyes. "Ummm….yes we are!" Rukia said after a pause. Ichigo loved her little friend because she was very original. He never saw jealousy or status complex in her eyes. "This locket is the symbol of our friendship! As long as you have it, we will always be connected wherever we are." once, Rukia said to him. They met each other every day. Both of them had never imagined that one day, the fate would separate them and that day came…

It was a winter morning. The snow had covered everything. The kids got a skating holiday. Ichigo promised Rukia to come to the vast ground in the front of school where they would make a snow man. Rukia was very excited and so was Ichigo. She reached there before time out of excitement. Of course, Ichigo had not reached there but she felt doomed to see some other punks there. They were Ichigo's class mates. "Hey! You street rat! What are you doing here?" One of them taunted her. "I…" she wanted to say something but was cut by another one "Waiting for your friend, huh?" "NO, no! Waiting for our friend to be precise! Our friend…who took pity on you, you street rat, and you think it is friendship!" the little kid with an evil grin continued. Rukia's heart could bear it no more. "Shut up! Just shut up…Who are you to decide whether we are true friends or not!" finally Rukia burst out. "Oh …so you also have got guts to speak!" it was a girl who attacked her with words this time. "I will show you what I have got!" Rukia said in a shattered yet firm voice. "Alright, then come on. Let us see the power of a mud insect!" All the five of them moved towards her at once. Rukia was not the kind of girl who could bear to play damsel in distress but she knew she was not in a strong position. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. "Don't you dare even lay a hand on her." a voice came from some distance. Everyone including Rukia looked back. It was Ichigo!

"Oh, so her hero has finally come to her rescue…" they all laughed. "Shut up! She is not the kind of girl that needs anyone to rescue her. She can defend herself you cowards! But two vs. five would at least be a bit fair." Ichigo said holding Rukia's hands. "You better stay out of this, Ichigo! We don't want you to get hurt. We just want to teach this street rat a good lesson." a chubby kid spoke. "I told you not to call her that already!" Ichigo said as he grabbed the collar of that kid's jacket. "This means that we have to get you out of the way first." the kid said as he punched Ichigo.

He fell onto ground .Blood gushed out of his forehead as his head collided with a brick. As there was no adult there, the kids took advantage of the situation and ran away out of fear. "Ichi kun!" Rukia screamed as he rushed towards Ichigo. She could not think of anything to do. She took out the knife she had in the pocket of her only wreathed jacket, cut a piece of her jacket and bandaged him. Ichigo saw the tears in her eyes "I am okay, you fool!" he said in a feeble voice. "I know!" she said trying to hide her tears. "Don't try to act tough in front of me!" she said rubbing her eyes. "It all happened because of me."

Just then, they both heard foot steps. Rukia stood up immediately. Ichigo struggled to stand up. It was Ichigo's father; Kurosaki Isshin along with some guards. "You filthy girl! How dare you hurt my little prince?" Rukia couldn't understand what was going on until she saw the five little rascals standing behind Isshin amused at their victory. "So they made up the whole story before him..." Rukia thought. Her mind was getting foggy. "Dad, listen to me. It is not her fault..." Ichigo tried to clarify. "Silence... I have had enough of your foolish behavior. If I had known that you play with kids of such class, I would never have allowed you to play after school!" his father snarled. "You have to become the head of our family in future! But with such attitude, our future is hopeless. Guards! Capture this girl and throw her there from where she can never return." Isshin said as he grabbed Ichigo's hand and began to walk away. "Let her go. Dad! Please listen to me." Ichigo pleaded in vain as the guards captured the little pretty angel struggling to get free…and they parted without even the hope of meeting ever again…

"I never thought I would see you again." Rukia said. "But I had faith that we would definitely meet because I had your present!" Ichigo said in a soft voice. "I was extremely happy when I found out that you were adopted by Kuchiki family. I always dreamed that I would bring an end to the enmity between the two families when I grow up and that….we will meet again." "Then why did you do it? Why did you kill my brother .Why?" Rukia suddenly flared up.

Author's note; "I wrote the chapter in mere 20 minutes but I hope you like it. Do give me your feed back."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Do you still suspect me? Do you still think I killed your brother? I can never even think of hurting you in any way .Never ever…."Ichigo said looking straight into Rukia's eyes.

"And why should I believe you?" Rukia said looking away.

"Ask your heart…..and if your heart tells you that I killed your brother, you can take your revenge. Here….Take it. "Ichigo said handing over a sword to her.

Rukia clutched it firmly in her hands and tried to stay firm but as soon as she looked at Ichigo, her hands began to shiver.

Dropping the sword, she said "You know I can't kill you. You know I just can't."

Tears welled up in her eyes. Ichigo stepped forward and embraced her.

"If you can't kill me then just shut up and stop hurting yourself more…and if you think I will let you go, I won't."

Rukia looked up at Ichigo who was smiling more warmly than ever.

"I don't want to let you go either….not again."

They remained that way for few brief moments.

"But Kuchiki Rukia, You will have to be punished for intruding into another person's home and privacy according to law." said Ichigo finally stepping back.

"But…."

Rukia wanted to say something but Ichigo interrupted her "It will be decided this evening. You may go back to your room for now."

That whole day Rukia kept trying to understand the situation. "Have I made a mistake by not killing him when I got the chance….No…I have made the right choice. He could not be the murderer. If he had been the one to kill my brother then why would he have offered me to take the revenge? He cannot be such a person that's for sure….But then what about that punishment? If everything had been settled then why does he want to punish me? Should I run away? What should I do?"

All these thoughts crowded her mind. She couldn't decide what to do.

When the sun was about to set, Ichigo called her in the backyard of the huge mansion. Rukia had never been to that area during her stay at the Kurosaki mansion. It was nearly twilight.

Rukia was extremely shocked when she reached there. It was the same place that Rukia saw in her dream that night. Ichigo was standing there surrounded by thousands of pretty flowers.

"What a weird place to announce punishment, huh?" Rukia thought.

"You are 5 minutes late!" Ichigo said in a serious yet sarcastic way.

"I am sorry for that. I am ready to hear out my chastisement…" Rukia said in a low voice.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo said moving towards her.

"Yes I am…" Rukia said looking at him.

"Will you please be my bride Kuchiki Rukia!" Ichigo said kneeling down as he reached close to her.

"What? Are you serious? What kind of punishment is this?" she sad looking wide eyed at the enchanting diamond ring in his hand.

"When we were young you once told me….that it's no less than a punishment to bear me. Do you remember? It was when I cheated when playing. I thought that bearing me for the life time would be the most appropriate punishment for you. Don't you think?" Ichigo said with a smile as he got up.

"Are you serious? I mean I thought that the girl from yesterday was your fiancée! Wasn't she?" Rukia still couldn't believe what she heard.

"Yes she was! It was going to be an arranged marriage….She surely is a great lady but she is not the one meant for me. When I told her about you and our childhood, my feelings about you, she immediately gave way….No one can come between us if just you say yes …I promise we will avenge your brother's death together…" Ichigo looked desperate.

"I will say yes later…..firstly let me take my revenge for scaring the hell out of me…." Rukia said with shining eyes as she picked up some grass leaves from the heap nearby and hurled them towards Ichigo. Ichigo did the same. Their laughter echoed through the whole mansion as the black sun and the white moon chased each other cherishing the everlasting spring in their lives…..

Author's note "It's finally the ending. I know it is not perfect but that's all I could think of!

I specially thank falconrukichi, austmadman, stellar aura, ashiruki, anika103 and rukes for reviewing my story. You guys were big support. Thanks a lot."


End file.
